Coral Reefs Provide Proteins That May Help Prevent the Spread of HIV

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A new class of proteins found in Australian coral can block HIV from penetrating T-cells. If used in gels or sexual lubricants, these proteins may provide a powerful barrier against HIV infection.

There’s no question that coral reefs are a natural wonder. But now
they may also be capable of stopping the spread of HIV. After screening
thousands of natural product extracts in a biorepository maintained by
the National Cancer Institute
(NCI), NCI researchers honed in on proteins called cnidarins, found in a
feathery coral collected in waters off of Australia's northern coast.

Proteins Capable of Blocking HIV

The
research team identified and purified the cnidarin proteins and then
tested their activity against laboratory strains of HIV. The proteins
proved very potent and capable of blocking HIV at concentrations of a
billionth of a gram by preventing the first step in HIV transmission, in
which the virus must enter a type of immune cell known as a T-cell.

Senior
investigator Barry O'Keefe, Ph.D., deputy chief of the Molecular
Targets Laboratory at the NCI’s Center for Cancer Research, said in a
press release, "And the fact that this protein appears to block HIV
infection—and to do it in a completely new way—makes this truly
exciting. It's always thrilling when you find a brand new protein that
nobody else has ever seen before."

Cnidarins Could Be Used in Sexual Lubricants and Gels

In
the global war against HIV, there has been interest in finding anti-HIV
microbicides that women can apply to block HIV infection, without
having to depend on a partner’s willingness to use a condom.

Koreen
Ramessar, Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow at the NCI and a
member of the research team, said cnidarins could be ideally suited for
use in such a product because the proteins block HIV transmission
without encouraging the virus to become resistant to other HIV drugs.

"When
developing new drugs, we're always concerned about the possibility of
undermining existing successful treatments by encouraging drug
resistance in the virus," said O'Keefe, in the press statement.

O’Keefe
continued, "But even if the virus became resistant to these proteins,
it would likely still be sensitive to all of the therapeutic options
that are currently available."

"We found that cnidarins bind to
the virus and prevent it from fusing with the T-cell membrane," said
Ramessar. "This is completely different from what we've seen with other
proteins, so we think the cnidarin proteins have a unique mechanism of
action."

Peering Ahead

The
researchers’ next step is to refine methods for generating cnidarins in
larger quantities so the proteins can be tested further to identify
potential side effects or activity against other viruses.

"Making
more of it is a big key. You can't strip the Earth of this coral trying
to harvest this protein, so our focus now is on finding ways to produce
more of it so we can proceed with preclinical testing," said O’Keefe.

The
scientists discovered cnidarins while screening for proteins, a largely
understudied component of natural product extracts found in the
National Cancer Institute's extract repository. The institute maintains a
large collection of natural specimens gathered from around the world
under agreements with their countries of origin. The specimens are
available to researchers across the United States.

"The natural
products extract repository is a national treasure," said O'Keefe. "You
never know what you might find. Hopefully, discoveries like this will
encourage more investigators to use this resource to identify extracts
with activity against infectious disease."

The study findings were featured at the Experimental Biology 2014 meeting of The American Physiological Society in San Diego on April 29, 2014.